Tag Archives: La Mia Boutique

So this is my last issue of LMB for a while, I think I will give the subscription rest for at least 6 months and then maybe reconsider. While I will miss receiving it I just don’t feel that it is the best value for me and my style. Right now I am really happy with Patrones and Burda seem to be trying a little bit harder each month. If I am going to subscribe to any new magazines I’d love to get hold of Manequim and I have investigated this…stay tuned :)

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.There are a few cute items with month and quite a few tragic ones too.

I quite like the simplicity of this dress/top with wide belt, it looks comfy and summery, good for throwing over those bikinis when Summer finally returns (it’s raining today btw!) :)

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I like this top too, same as above and I particularity like how it looks as if the model has just ripped off the animal print to jump into the water to save some helpless…I don’t know…what is she looking at?!

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I totally missed this first flip through but look at the line drawing of the cardi (ignore the dress, it’s one of the tragics I mentioned, a sack with random pocket I can make without a pattern from a $20 magazine!) it’s pretty neat huh? I can see it’s potential.

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This is quite a cute outfit overall, the blouse I have seen before in December 2009 and I am not sure I would do the gather at the bottom of the pants but the Jacket is a really nice shape.

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Another cute outfit, mostly I like the blouse but the jacket is also a nice shape…the pants are a bit pyjama but maybe in a different fabric…

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This is sort of cute too, in the line drawing but again, not sure about the fabric choice and I have see this style before recently in LMB…

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For any subscribers out there here is a sneak peak at next month, but for me that is it, back to just Patrones & Burda for a while. If you’d like to see a different take on this issue check out Melissa’s review over on Fehr Trade, she even put in a few of the tragics as well :)

Like this:

Argh, LMB why do you do this to me? You know this is my second to last magazine in my subscription and that in my last post I berated you for not being quite me and I vowed to end our turbulent relationship but then you go and do this?! It’s not fair :(

There are actaully quite a few items I love in this issue, hence my frustration, now I can’t decide if I should end my subscription or not…

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First up a cute cardy over an even cuter pleated dress, very comfy looking and oh so spring. I love the length, the lace and the colours are great too and I just purchased some yummy 100% Pure NZ Merino which would be perfect for the cardy.

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Next the bolero/cropped jacket keeps haunting me and this one is extra cute, look at the sleeve detail and the collar is perfect, it’s bumped up the list.

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This dress doesn’t look like much with the bad fit and drab colour combo, a bit safari for me but I can see the potential (wow, I am getting good at this, see how hard I am trying?) The high waist is nice with the chunky belt.

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This dress has great lines, look closer at the line drawing. I usually don’t much care for that style hem but it looks much more relaxed on the model so this is what I would aim for, I don’t do puffy.

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Here’s a sneak peak at next month and it doesn’t inspire me at all, my struggle with LMB continues.

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And for a laugh here’s a little wff? moment for you…mmm, flattering!

If you want to see a different take on this issue why not check out Fehr Trade and see the items Melissa picked out instead.

Like this:

La Mia Boutique is an Italian pattern magazine along the same lines as Patrones and BurdaStyle. The magazine contains photos of each style, a newspaper print central section with instructions and overlapping coloured pattern sheets. I have had a La Mia Boutique subscription for about 4 months now, I bought a 6 month subscription after buying the December 2009 issue off of ebay. It is my most expensive subscription I receive as I do not subscribe direct with the publisher and I have to say after this subscription ends I will not be renewing it. The December issue I got from ebay was full of items I loved however I have been less than impressed with the issues I have received recently. I’m not really sure what it is because I see on other blogs people making up their patterns and I don’t mind what I see. I think it’s a presentation thing for me, I have trouble seeing the potential in each item, one recent issue was full of models that all looked the same and they were incredibly skinny and stood awkwardly with too much make up on in clothes that were too large for them. Sometimes the fabrics are really nice and I have discovered that if I look more carefully at the line drawings I can see more potential especially with a lot of the dresses. Maybe I am not being curious enough so with this most recent issue I have tried really hard to see any items that I would like to make and I thought I would share a few of them here.

In LMB You don’t get a full colour photo index like with Patrones, you get a sort of sample index but all the patterns are represented in the line drawings before the instructions section. I have photoshopped the line drawings onto the page scans ala Patrones fashion because it helps me remember why I picked that page out.

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This whole issue is a bit cowgirl themed but I do find this sort of dress/jacket quite cute, it’s a little bit cow-girl, a little bit safari and is quite casual, it looks comfy and has some nice panel details.

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Next up I do like this combo even through the skirt is more like a wide belt but the vest is cute and again, the blouse has some nice details that you cannot see in the photo. If I squint really hard I can see it in different fabrics with more of a fun summer feel.

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This dress is actually quite nice and I ignored it on the my first flip through but look at the line drawing, it’s actually really cute and has a lot of potential in a different fabric, go on, squint really hard at the screen, see? Isn’t that better?

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Now I know I probably shouldn’t like this but I do, I’m not really sure why, it’s got a kind of romper/jump suit feel and I’ve wanted to try a jumpsuit with shorts ever since I saw Jeanie Mai rocking a denim set with a floral blouse on ‘How Do I Look?’ but I’m a bit scared so maybe this could be a nice baby step into the jumpsuit realm for me. It reminds me of the style of jumpsuit she was wearing and would look cool with a blouse underneath I think and maybe I could even attach that upper bodice to a shorts pattern of my choosing or just lose those ruffles for a less fussy feel. I’ve struggled with this whole trend for a while, I really want to try one and while I’ve seen many, many styles, there are very few I’ve actually liked. Like Jeanie Mia’s version (excuse the paused-foxtel-camera-phone-snapshot) and here’s a few more I like too.

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This blouse looks nice and light for summer weather beside the pool or at the beach, again, I like the details in the line drawing.

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This dress is another that you’ll miss first time through, but LOOK at the line drawing, I actually really like this, a lot!

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And last of all a proper full jumpsuit, ok, going out on a limb here, it’s cute yes? With the shirring front and back and the dropped waist? I’m really not sure, part of me really wants to give this one a go, the other part of me says “ok, but you’re never wearing it outside!”. It does looks like a comfy weekend run-around outfit, something to throw on and be done with it, in a cute solid colour or maybe a fun print. Here’s a few more takes on the same kind of style…the jury is still out.

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Well I think I‘ve done well, I have two more issue left in my subscription and I joked when I received my second disappointing issue that the last two issues will be amazing, just to force me to change my mind, well, we’ll see won’t we…

Do you subscribe to LMB? What do you think of the recent issues? Am I just totally insane? I’d love to know what pattern gems you almost missed until you saw the line drawing, please share them with me.